You’ve done it! You’ve made it to the end of a 12WBT round and you’re feeling a little fitter, stronger, and more confident in the kitchen. So, what now?! While you may not have access to the meal plan on the site, you can absolutely continue with your meal planning momentum.
 Failure to plan is planning to fail, so set aside some time each week to plan the meals for the week ahead. You are worth the time and it’s guaranteed to make your days run smoother.
THE GUIDELINES
 A few things to consider when putting together a meal plan. It’s ideal to include:
- Up to 4 red meat meals
- 2+ seafood based meals
- Vegetarian meals
– Â If you are vegetarian, include a mix of tofu/tempeh, legumes, eggs, nuts and occasionally meat substitute products
- 2-3 serves of dairy/day
- 2 pieces of fruit/day
 *Variety is great but it’s also good to consider your budget, food waste, what foods are in season, the needs of your family and what you actually enjoy eating! In real life, this may look like cooking 2-3 meals with the one type of meat, using bananas instead of apples because they are on special/in season, using carrots in place of zucchini because that’s what you prefer, cooking up meals in bulk and freezing leftover portions or picking meals that allow you to use the whole tub of ricotta cheese.
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THE EXECUTION
- Pick your breakfasts. It’s okay to eat the same thing every day or rotate a few meals over the week.
-  Pick your dinners. Choose meals you enjoy, that suit your climate and that work for you and anyone else you’re cooking for. This is where you can play with variety – a few lean meat meals (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey), 2 seafood meals and some vegetarian meals thrown in too. Think about whether some of these meals can be used for lunches through the week as well – leftovers for the win!
- Pick your lunches. This is where you decide if leftovers from dinner is your jam, or you prefer a cold lunch. If you are using leftovers from dinner, fill in any gaps with other lunch meals – salads, wraps, sandwiches and pita pockets are super easy and usually tick the boxes for vegetables, protein (meat, eggs, tofu, beans) and wholegrain.
- Pick your snacks. Pick 2-4 snacks to have in a week and rotate them as you see fit. You can then pick different (or the same) snacks the next week. A great opportunity to enjoy fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and a serve of dairy.
THE WIN
You have nutritious and satisfying meals lined up for the week to support your workouts, work day and everything in between.
